Have you tried baking gluten-free bread, only to find that it tastes pretty good fresh out of the oven, but after a day or two it is no longer moist and is about as palatable as cardboard? I've baked rice flour, sorghum flour and bean flour loaves for years and never found a loaf that really satisfied me in the way that wheat bread did. Where was the lightness, the nutty taste, the soft texture with a stretchy feel? Most loaves I made were rather crumbly in texture. I pretty much gave up on gluten-free bread, both home-made and store-bought.
Then, on a trip to the UK this summer I found a fresh loaf of gluten-free bread in a local grocery store. It's called Genius, and it truly is wonderful. Sadly, Genius bread is only available in the UK, and I grieved the fact that once I ate the loaf I brought home with me to Canada my "breaded bliss" would be over.
Then I had a thought - would it be possible to use the ingredient list and the nutritional information to make my own genius bread recipe? The answer, after six months of experimenting, mathematical calculations, baking, sourcing ingredients, and loads of frustration (or should that be "loaves" of frustration?) is a resounding "YES"!
I've taste-tested this recipe with my family, friends, and co-workers. The response all around has been very positive, with those who can eat wheat saying that they can't believe it's not "regular bread", and those who can't eat wheat begging me for the recipe. I've created this site to share the recipe and variations.
To show you how easy it is to make this bread, I've recorded a video that demonstrates the steps using a "mix by hand" method with no special equipment - just mixing bowls, a whisk, spatula, a bread pan and an oven. The video demonstrates the method used for the basic bread recipe that you may purchase on the "Buy Now" page for less than the price of a single loaf of store-bought gluten-free bread. Other videos show you how to make variations of this basic recipe to produce buns and other novelties.
© John Downes, 2010 The author does not claim to provide the exact recipe for Genius bread, manufactured in the UK. Unless in italic, the word "genius" is used as in colloquial speech